{"product_id":"1859-1860-whaling","title":"1859-1860 WHALING \u0026 BLUBBER OIL SALES. Blubber and Oil Dealer's Diary Just Prior to Petroleum Boom.","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThis manuscript ledger provides a fascinating localized window into the North Shore maritime economy of Essex County, Massachusetts, on the eve of the American Civil War. During the late 1850s, North Shore ports maintained large fleets of schooners engaged in cod, mackerel, and pilot whale fishing. The \"blubber\" bought and sold in these transactions frequently encompassed whale oil, blackfish blubber, and cod liver oil brought back by returning fishing schooners to be rendered for industrial lubricants, illuminants, or processing agents used in nearby leather tanneries, most famously concentrated in Salem's industrial \"Blubber Hollow\" district along the North River.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe extensive list of named schooners provides rich prosopographical data for mid-nineteenth-century Massachusetts maritime history. Vessels such as the Almira M. Cloutman, Susan Center, Pleasant Bay, and We're Here represent iconic North Shore fishing and coastal schooners. Notably, We're Here is a legendary name in Massachusetts fishing lore, later immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as the central Grand Banks schooner in his classic novel Captains Courageous. The explicit mention of Captain Nathaniel Blanchard of Swampscott ties the document directly to a prominent historic figure in North Shore fishing history. Captain Blanchard was a well-known Swampscott skipper active in the 1850s who contributed specimens and observations to early scientific studies of New England marine life, including Dr. D. Humphreys Storer’s landmark ichthyological works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe timeline of July 1859 through February 1860 captures the exact moment when the traditional American marine oil economy reached its historical peak. Edwin Drake struck petroleum in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in August 1859, initiating the petroleum boom that would rapidly displace whale and marine oils across the nation over the following decade. Consequently, this ledger captures the daily operations, vessel networks, and commodity values of the North Shore oil and fishing trade at the very twilight of its pre-petroleum era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe manuscript titled with a small laid on period label, Blubber. 1859 [July 1859 to February 1860]. Closed. Blindstamped H. P. Ives \u0026amp; A. A. Smith, Booksellers. Salem, Massachusetts. 42pp contain writing. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll transactions seem to take place in either Berwick or Marblehead.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSchooners mentioned include: Almira M. Cloutman; Pleasant Bay; Susan Center; Ceylon; E. W. Forrist; Mary S. Herd; We're Here; Texas; Pencilvania; Album; Juna; C. M. Porter; Charley; Bride; Bartlet \u0026amp; Osgood; Sarah Jane; J. L. Dodge; Perary Flower; C. A. Stetson; Peria Flower; S. J. Collins; Sara Knight; Elisabeth; Belle; Charles Rubin; Laurel; Samuel Ober; Angler; Henry WEst; Haskell; Richmond; W. H. Lorett; Mayflower; Rose; J. P. Meriom; Ryder; Betsy \u0026amp; Eliza; Montzuma; William Penn; Mr. Morgan; Josephine; Caroline; Merrietta; Juliett; Oleander; Bogs; Barnard; Eric; Cyren; Ballance; George; Ripley; Crowell; Mary B. Smith; Dorado; Jodine; Good Hope; Emeline M. Russle; E. W. Morrist; Emerline; Deliverance; Phillip Bridge; Juno; We Are Here; Sharlot Morgin; Susan Centre; Hellen; Aladin; Ocean Bride; Helen; John Trask; Magnolia; etc.  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Specs Fine Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51186306023460,"sku":null,"price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0093\/3910\/9435\/files\/07-31-2026SpecsFineBooks-4.jpg?v=1785783261","url":"https:\/\/specsfinebooks.com\/products\/1859-1860-whaling","provider":"Specs Fine Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}